Horizontal and vertical refrigerator cooler cabinets are utilized commercially to merchandise and dispense such items as milk, drinks, and other beverages stacked on shelves in the cabinets in grocery stores and the like establishments. In the vertical refrigeration cabinets the compressor unit is normally at the bottom of the cabinet and the evaporator coil inside an upper portion of the cabinet with the refrigerant tubing connecting the compressor and evaporator coil being arranged in the back of the cabinet. With this general configuration, cabinets are manufactured in either of two methods: (1) the evaporator and condensing unit tubing connections are made within the cabinet such that the assembled refrigeration system cannot be removed from the cabinet for servicing or replacement; or (2) the system is pre-assembled then installed in the cabinet from the rear of the cabinet such that the tubing is in back of the cabinet and the evaporator is inserted into the cabinet interior through a coverable opening in the top or rear of the cabinet.
However, in servicing these prior coolers, there are times when one component or the complete refrigeration system must be removed for repair or replacement. If the system is removable from the rear of the cabinet, the product containers loaded on interior shelves must be removed and the cabinet pulled away from the wall to provide access and space for removal of the system and subsequent replacement. With either method of installation of the refrigeration system, if a part of the refrigeration system needs to be removed and carried to the shop for servicing or replacement, the beverage must be removed from the cabinet for access and the refrigerant tubing must be cut requiring refitting of the tubing to the system and time consuming operations in the establishment. The refrigeration system is rendered inoperative requiring that the beverages be unloaded and moved to another cooler. Servicing at the site of the refrigeration cooler is often time consuming and inconvenient due to operations in the retail establishment. Furthermore, many localities prohibit this type servicing of refrigeration systems within the establishment.
It has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,078 to provide a refrigeration system which may be installed and removed as one piece. However, the unit includes the compressor and the evaporator in the same section of the cabinet requiring additional cabinetry and insulation in the unit. In vertical refrigerated cabinets it is often more desirable for a number of reasons to enclose the compressor in the lower portion the cabinet and to position the evaporator at the upper portion of the cabinet remotely from the compressor.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a unitary refrigeration system for a vertical refrigeration cooler which may be installed and removed as a unit from a front of the cooler without a need to unload the articles in the cooler or move the cabinet.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a unitary refrigeration system for a vertical cooler in which the compressor and evaporator may be removed as a unit without disconnection of the refrigerant tubing in a convenient and expedient manner from a front of the cabinet.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a unitary refrigeration system which may be easily removed from a vertical cooler as a unit for servicing and replaced by a like unit so that the cooler is not rendered inoperable during servicing.